A GRAMA request is a written request for access to government records pursuant to Utah’s Government Records Access and Management Act. A governmental entity that receives a request can respond in one of the following ways: 1) provide the requested record, 2) provide a notice of denial that explains why all or part of the record should be withheld, 3) …
Understanding the 2012 GRAMA Updates
Each year, the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) is updated. In Spring, the Division of Archives and Records Service provides a consolidated copy of the GRAMA law on our website. In 2012, fourteen minor changes were made to GRAMA. These changes include amendments to the existing law and two newly enacted sections. Newly Enacted GRAMA Sections 63G-2-108. Certification …
Records Laws Webpage Updates
The dictionary defines ‘laws’ as “a body of rules and principles governing the affairs of a community and enforced by a political authority.” In keeping with that definition, records laws are the body of rules and principles governing records, including all aspects of their creation, identification, use, and maintenance or destruction. Deciding who has access to government records has …
Simplifying Access to Government Records
Simplifying Access to Government Records One duty of a records officer is to provide public access to government records. To help simplify the records request process, records officers and the public should be clear about the records or information requested. Records retention schedules can be used as a tool to accomplish this. Some questions to ask are: Where are the records kept? …
Moving Utah's General Retention Schedules Forward
It has been over a decade since the Utah State Archives and Records Service did a comprehensive review of its general retention schedules. Since then a great deal has changed in the way that states and non-governmental entities manage their records. The nature of records is changing, or maybe more accurately has changed, as centuries old analog formats are being …
State Records Committee Meeting Minutes (1992-2009) are Available Online
The first State Records Committee (SRC) meeting was held on September 30, 1992. The committee will celebrate its 19th birthday this month. In the years following the first meeting, the SRC heard approximately 238 cases, an average of 12.52 cases per year. Meeting minutes from 1992- 2009 are now available online. Decisions and Orders of the SRC from 1992- present are also …
September ARMA Chapter Meeting at Archives
The Utah State Archives will host ARMA Utah – Salt Lake Chapter’s first meeting after the summer break on Thursday, September 15, 2011. The chapter meeting will be held from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM in the Archives’ courtyard training room located on the first floor of the Utah State Archives Building (346 South Rio Grande Street, SLC). Mindy Spring …
Drafts: A Records Management and Access Enigma Explained
The Government Records Access Management Act (GRAMA) clearly defines what a record is and what a record is not in the state of Utah. One of the most frequently asked questions received by the State Archives is: “How do I handle drafts?” In total, there are six references to drafts in GRAMA that address management and classification. One reason why …
Submitting Records Series to the State Records Committee
“The chief administrative officer of each governmental entity shall…establish and maintain an active, continuing program for the economical and efficient management of the governmental entity’s records” –UCA 63A-12-103(1)a Utah’s seven-member State Records Committee (SRC) was established in 1992 by the Utah Legislature under the Government Records Access and Management Act (GRAMA) – one of Utah’s records laws. One committee responsibility …
GRAMA has been updated!
GRAMA has been updated and posted on the Archives website. Typically, the State Legislature makes minor changes to GRAMA (Government Records Access and Management Act) during each annual session. This year a major overhaul of the law, which was passed and then repealed, put GRAMA in the news. A working group is currently reevaluating the law and will propose changes. …